FOR PRIVATE CLUBS & LUXURY RESORTS
An Executive Chef Should Strengthen Your System—Not Be Your System.
If your standards live in one person's head, your club is borrowing consistency from whoever is on payroll.
I help private clubs and luxury resorts build the operating engine behind Food & Beverage so performance holds steady through leadership changes.
Who this is for
General Managers tired of the turnover cycle and the operational reset that follows
F&B directors who need a clear operating framework to lead, train, and hold standards
The Lived Experience
Problems don’t usually announce themselves in board meetings. They show up as conversations.
“The food was excellent last month. What changed?”
“Ever since the chef left, it hasn’t been the same.”
“It depends on who’s working.”
“I honestly liked the last chef better.”
When members describe inconsistency, they are reacting to instability–the sense that the experience changes depending on who is in the kitchen. That’s what erodes confidence over time.
The Problem
Confusion is the first sign that trust is slipping
What members are reacting to isn’t just food quality. They’re reacting to instability. When a club ties its identity to a single chef, every change feels personal.
- ' Food quality that goes up and down
- ' Higher labor and food costs due to lack of standardization
- ' Burned-out leaders constantly firefighting issues
- ' Starting over at Day Zero every time a chef leaves
The "Day Zero" Cycle
Member Satisfaction Over Time
The Structural Gap
You don't have a talent problem.
You have a structural gap.
Most clubs respond to instability by hiring a stronger personality. They bring in an Executive Chef hoping they'll fix everything—without defining the operating framework that chef is expected to lead within.
When structure is unclear, even talented chefs struggle. Execution becomes opinion-driven. Costs drift. Training becomes inconsistent. Service loses confidence. And when that expensive personality leaves, the club resets to Day Zero.
Without a club-owned operating framework:
- Menus and recipes live in people’s heads instead of in documented systems.
- Standards shift as managers and chefs come and go.
- Leadership transitions disrupt consistency and reset expectations.
- Food costs, labor, and performance fluctuate unpredictably.
Before you invest in another Executive Chef, make sure the club owns the structure to support one. Talent should operate inside a system—not replace one.
The Solution
Build the engine so you don't have to keep rebuilding the car.
I’m brought in when the board is tired of resets—and leadership needs a repeatable operating model instead of another heroic hire. I don’t replace leadership. I help you codify the structure that makes leadership sustainable.
We build the operating engine behind your Food & Beverage program by translating abstract goals into daily execution:
- Menu Governance — who decides what changes, when, and why
- Financial Alignment — what the menu must cost to hit margin targets
- Training Cadence — how standards get taught, reinforced, and audited weekly
- Accountability — how performance gets measured, not debated
I don’t replace chefs. I remove your dependency on them.
The Cultural Shift
Standards are no longer set by who happens to be on the shift.
How it WOrks
The Path to Continuity
We don't drop a manual on your desk and walk away. We build the system alongside your team.
1. Stability Review
Identify exactly where standards are person-dependent and where execution breaks across shifts
2. Operating Engine Design
Codify governance, menu architecture, cost targets, and the training rhythm
3. Implementation Support
Work alongside your GM and Chef to embed the model into daily operations
EXECUTIVE GOVERNANCE
Raise governance. Reduce dependency.
The "superstar chef" model creates predictable risk: ego volatility, creeping food costs, uneven banquets, comping to quiet complaints, and the exhausting churn of turnover and retraining. The club ends up managing personalities instead of managing performance.
By building this operating engine with your team, you get:
- Lower Dependency — standards are owned by the club, not a single person
- Standards shift as managers and chefs come and go.
- Leadership transitions disrupt consistency and reset expectations.
- Food costs, labor, and performance fluctuate unpredictably.
This is not about lowering standards. It's about raising governance.
Internal Asset
The Kitchen Fragility
Scorecard
Governance • Continuity • Financial Control • Standardized Execution
Complimentary Assessment
Test the Strength of Your Current Operation
Our 20-point MFA Food and Beverage Stability Audit identifies hidden risks in:
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- Governance and leadership continuity
- Executive Chef job duty alignment
- Operational consistency, and execution
- Financial performance and cost control
Test your operation today and see where your club is stable and where it could improve.
By requesting the scorecard, you agree to receive our brief monthly brief on systems-based culinary leadership.
Stop Running on Talent. Start Owning the System.
Schedule a strategic consultation to define the operating framework your culinary team needs to perform consistently—without constant resets.
About Lao Group
Lao Group was founded by Bonita Lao to solve a critical challenge for hospitality organizations: running food & beverage operations with clarity, consistency, and profitability.
A chef and entrepreneur who has owned both a catering company and a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Bonita brings firsthand experience in kitchen operations and business management.
Using her proprietary Menu Focused Approach (MFA), she helps restaurants, resorts, and private clubs stabilize operations, increase revenue, reduce waste, and implement structured processes that move teams from ad hoc decisions to systems-driven operations. Bonita partners with leadership to establish frameworks, processes, and accountability structures that deliver lasting results.
“I help private clubs and resorts implement a Menu-Centric Operating System that aligns brand promise, culinary leadership, and operational execution—so teams perform consistently and ownership/management can plan with confidence.”
Bonita Lao | Systems Architect for Food & Beverage Operations